Lucky
by Orangeflight of ShadowClan
Summary: Firepaw is Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's only kit, which is why everyone calls her lucky. But when the Dark Forest regains power and a new prophecy is revealed, can Firepaw prove herself lucky, or was she misrepresented all along?
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Lucky**

**Firepaw is Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's only kit, which is why everyone calls her lucky. But when the Dark Forest regains power and a new prophecy is revealed, can Firepaw prove herself lucky, or was she misrepresented all along?**

_**Allegiances**_

**ThunderClan:**

**Leader:**** Bramblestar—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes**

**Deputy:**** Squirrelflight—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes**

**Medicine Cat:**** Jayfeather—gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes**

**Apprentice, Lilypaw**

**Warriors**

**Brackenfur—golden-brown tabby tom**

**Sorreltail—tortoiseshell and white she-cat**

**Cloudtail—long-haired white tom with blue eyes**

**Brightheart—ginger-and-white she-cat**

**Millie—silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes**

**Thornclaw—golden-brown tabby tom**

**Apprentice, Amberpaw**

**Leafpool—brown tabby and white she-cat, former medicine cat**

**Spiderleg—black tom with a brown underbelly and amber eyes**

**Birchfall—brown tabby tom**

**Berrynose—cream-colored tom with amber eyes**

**Poppyfrost—tortoiseshell she-cat **

**Apprentice, Dewpaw**

**Hazeltail—gray-and-white she-cat**

**Mousewhisker—gray-and-white tom**

**Lionblaze—golden tabby tom with amber eyes**

**Foxleap—ginger tom**

**Icecloud—white she-cat**

**Toadstep—black-and-white tom**

**Apprentice, Snowpaw**

**Rosepetal—cream-colored she-cat **

**Briarlight—dark brown she-cat with amber eyes**

**Blossomfall—tortoiseshell and white she-cat**

**Apprentice, Firepaw**

**Bumblestripe—gray tom with black stripes**

**Dovewing—pale gray she-cat with blue eyes**

**Ivypool—silver and white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes**

**Cherryfeather—ginger she-cat**

**Molewhisker—brown and cream-furred tom **

**Seedcloud—pale ginger she-cat with green eyes**

**Apprentices**

**Lilypaw—dark brown and cream she-cat **

**Amberpaw—gray-and-white patched she-cat **

**Dewpaw—dark gray tom**

**Snowpaw—long-haired white tom with amber eyes**

**Firepaw—ginger tabby she-cat with golden eyes**

**Queens**

**Whitewing—white she-cat, expecting Birchfall's kits**

**Cinderheart—gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes, expecting Lionblaze's kits**

**Daisy—cream long-furred she-cat from the horseplace**

**Elders**

**Sandstorm—pale ginger she-cat with green eyes**

**Graystripe—long-haired gray tom**

**Dustpelt—dark brown tabby tom**

**Purdy—plump tabby former loner**

**ShadowClan:**

**Leader:**** Rowanstar—ginger tom**

**Deputy:**** Scorchfur—dark gray tom**

**Medicine Cat:**** Littlecloud—brown tabby and white tom**

**Apprentice, Nightpaw (black and white tom)**

**Warriors**

**Toadfoot—dark brown tom**

**Applefur—mottled brown she-cat**

**Crowfrost—black-and-white tom**

**Snowbird—pure white she-cat**

**Apprentice, Timberpaw (gray tabby and white tom)**

**Ratscar—brown tom with a long scar across his back**

**Tawnypelt—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes**

**Pinenose—black she-cat**

**Owlclaw—light brown tabby tom**

**Shrewfoot—gray she-cat with dark gray paws**

**Ivytail—black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat**

**Tigerheart—dark brown tabby tom**

**Apprentice, Thrushpaw (light gray she-cat with white splotches)**

**Dawnpelt—cream-furred she-cat**

**Ferretclaw—cream-and-gray tom**

**Starlingwing—ginger tom**

**Queens**

**Kinkfur—tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all angles**

**Olivenose—tortoiseshell she-cat, expecting Tigerheart's kits**

**WindClan:**

**Leader:**** Onestar—brown tabby tom**

**Deputy:**** Boulderclaw—large pale gray tom**

**Medicine Cat:**** Kestrelflight—mottled gray tom**

**Warriors**

**Crowfeather—dark gray tom**

**Owlwhisker—light brown tabby tom**

**Apprentice, Greenpaw (dark brown tabby tom)**

**Gorsetail—pale gray and white tom with blue eyes**

**Swallowtail—dark gray she-cat**

**Weaselfur—ginger tom with white paws**

**Harespring—brown and white tom**

**Heathertail—light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes**

**Leaftail—dark brown tabby tom **

**Emberfoot—gray tom with two dark gray paws**

**Sedgewhisker—light brown tabby she-cat**

**Sunstrike—tortoiseshell she-cat with a huge white mark on her forehead**

**Whiskernose—light brown tom**

**Furzepelt—gray-and-white she-cat**

**Crouchblaze—black tom**

**Elders**

**Whitetail—small white she-cat**

**RiverClan:**

**Leader:**** Mistystar—gray she-cat with blue eyes**

**Deputy:**** Duskfur—brown tabby she-cat**

**Medicine Cat:**** Mothwing—golden dappled she-cat**

**Apprentice, Willowshine (gray tabby she-cat)**

**Warriors**

**Mintfur—light gray tabby tom**

**Graymist—pale gray tabby she-cat**

**Icewing—white she-cat with blue eyes**

**Minnowtail—dark gray she-cat**

**Apprentice, Stonepaw (dark gray tabby tom)**

**Pebblefoot—mottled gray tom**

**Petalfur—gray and white she-cat**

**Mallownose—light brown tabby tom**

**Robinwing—tortoiseshell and white tom**

**Grasspelt—light brown tom**

**Troutstream—pale gray tabby she-cat**

**Hollowflight—dark brown tabby tom**

**Apprentice, Splashpaw (gray and white she-cat)**

**Mossystream—brown-and-white she-cat**

**Rushleaf—light brown tabby tom**

**Heronflight—brown tabby tom**

**Apprentice, Rainpaw (dark gray she-cat with white paws)**

**Queens**

**Mosspelt—tortoiseshell and white she-cat, mother of Grasspelt's kits: Lichenkit (tortoiseshell and white she-kit) and Marshkit (dark brown tom)**

**Elders**

**Reedwhisker—black tom**

**Dapplenose—mottled gray she-cat**

**Pouncetail—ginger-and-white tom**

_Prologue:_

_The wind whispered across the _camp as Squirrelflight made her way towards Bramblestar's den. She took a deep breath, trying to think of what she would say to the dark brown tabby. He already knew she was getting a bit slow lately, but imagine what he would think if he knew she was pregnant with his kits!

She almost stumbled over a pebble on her way over and she winced slightly. She remembered when she had lied to Bramblestar about Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather being their kits. Hopefully he'd believe her this time. Squirrelflight hesitated outside of Bramblestar's den, but then steadily stepped into the darkness of his den.

"Bramblestar?" she whispered, mentally scolding herself when her voice cracked.

In the illuminating darkness, she saw the huge dark brown tabby lift up his head and open his piercing amber eyes. "Yes Squirrelflight?" he asked in a calm voice.

"May I speak to you? It's very important." The dark ginger she-cat took a deep breath as his calculating gaze swept over her. For a few seconds, time seemed to stop, and there was only her and Bramblestar.

She thought he was going to say no until he meowed, "Of course. Let's speak outside of camp."

Squirrelflight sighed in relief and padded out of his den. She let Bramblestar take the lead as they headed towards the exit of the camp. Brackenfur and Spiderleg, the two warriors standing guard, nodded at them as they went past.

The whispers of the forest swept around them and Squirrelflight felt at ease. Her earlier fears had disappeared and now she knew what she would say to Bramblestar about his kits. After a while, they arrived in a secluded part of the forest.

They stopped and Squirrelflight felt her breath hitch in her throat. A light mist was wrapping around the forest, covering Bramblestar in a light veil of sky blue. For a minute, she thought he was a StarClan cat—and then the vision faded. Now he was staring at her impatiently.

"Well?" he growled. "I hope you didn't do this to waste my time, Squirrelflight."

"I didn't, I promise!" the dark ginger she-cat insisted. "I have something to tell you… it can't be a secret, not like last time." Squirrelflight paced forward until she was nose-to-nose with Bramblestar.

"Bramblestar, I… I'm pregnant. With your kits."

Bramblestar's amber eyes flashed with surprise, and he took a step back. "R-really? Are they really our kits?" the dark tabby meowed, his whiskers twitching slightly.

"Yes, I promise," Squirrelflight purred, nuzzling him. "They're all ours."

"We have to get you in the Nursery right away," the tabby leader meowed. "We can't risk them getting hurt if you get in a border skirmish."

_Impatient tom, _the dark ginger she-cat thought affectionately. _But at least I know he cares._

* * *

Bramblestar paced outside the den, his amber eyes shining with worry. Squirrelflight was giving birth, and he was really worried. No wonder Birchfall was so clingy when Whitewing had Dovewing and Ivypool—he knew that there was a chance of his mate dying.

After a long while of pacing, Jayfeather finally popped his gray tabby head out of the Nursery. "She's done, Bramblestar," he meowed with a hint of annoyance to his voice. "I was getting tired of hearing you pacing."

Bramblestar shrugged off his comment and bounded past him into the Nursery. In the curve of Squirrelflight's belly, there lay one single kit, an orange tabby. He felt the air rush out of him and warmth fill him from ears to tail-tip.

"It's a she-kit," Squirrelflight meowed gently, staring down at the kit with her emerald green eyes.

"S-she's beautiful," the tabby leader breathed. He lowered his head and stared at the little she-kit, _his _little she-kit.

"What should we name her?" the dark ginger she-cat asked, her eyes not leaving the kit. She gently wrapped her fluffy tail around her and purred as she mewled in protest.

Bramblestar looked up at the top of the den, his mind whirling for ideas. Suddenly, Firestar came to his thoughts and he purred, knowing now what he would call the she-kit.

"I think we should name her Firekit, after Firestar."

Squirrelflight looked down at the kit, purring to her gently. "Yes, Firekit. She'll be the luckiest cat in the forest."

* * *

"No!" Ashfur jabbed a paw into the sparkling water, causing ripples to form and the image in front of him to fade. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Ashfur, you know it's destined for them to be together," Bluestar meowed calmly beside him. "Besides, that kit is important."

Ashfur clearly heard Bluestar's words, but he still glared into the sparkling water. _This kit may be important, but it was supposed to be _my _kit_. Long ago, he accepted that Squirrelflight would never be his, but it still hurt whenever he saw her and Bramblestar together.

"There's a new prophecy," Bluestar continued. "Everything is still not peaceful. Nothing ever seems to be peaceful anymore. But maybe young Firekit can help."

"What could _she _do?" Ashfur grumbled, looking down at his paws angrily.

"She could preserve peace. Maybe she could save the Clans once and for all." Bluestar's blue eyes glowed brightly with hope.

Just seeing the former ThunderClan leader excited about a kit that could've been his made Ashfur too upset to bear. He knew Squirrelflight would have never loved him, no matter how hard he tried, but it still just seemed hurtful.

"I have to go," he meowed to Bluestar, and turned tail and fled from the scene. He would have nothing to do with Firekit.

Not ever.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of the prologue! I hope you liked it c: Remember to review! The allegiances took me a long time to finish!**


	2. Chapter One: First Day as an Apprentice

**Lucky**

**Thank you Samjam75, Leafsplash-Of-ThunderClan, Dark is Walkin' the Green Mile, and Guest for reviewing, favoring, and following! I'm glad you guys liked it c: Guest, I won't make Firepaw the reincarnation of Firestar because he already did his part in two prophecies and it wouldn't exactly be fair to have him become reborn. Well, anyway, here's chapter one!**

_Chapter One_

"_Firepaw! Firepaw!"_

Firepaw felt her eyes glow in excitement as Blossomfall walked towards her, her tortoiseshell pelt glowing in the sunlight. The warrior leaned down to touch her nose against hers, and Firepaw felt warmth spread through her from ears to tail-tip. She was finally an apprentice, after waiting in the Nursery for so long.

She looked up at Bramblestar and Squirrelflight and saw pride glowing in their eyes. Firepaw purred at them and then looked up at her new mentor. "What are we doing today?" she asked, excitement tingling in her paws.

"Right now, we're going to collect moss for Sandstorm, Dustpelt, Graystripe, and Purdy," Blossomfall replied, her green eyes looking around the camp distractedly. "Then you can get a good night's rest."

"Collect moss?" Firepaw failed to hide the disdain in her voice. "Can't we battle train or hunt like the other apprentices?"

Suddenly, Blossomfall was looming over the ginger tabby apprentice, her green eyes blazing like fire. "No," she growled. "We will collect moss for the elders. I'm your mentor, and you should do as I say!"

Firepaw winced, and muttered, "Okay." _I didn't know warriors could be mean to their apprentices!_

Together, they padded out of camp. Again, Firepaw felt a flash of annoyance when Blossomfall stopped, knowing that they would be collecting moss next. There was a huge tree shadowing over them with green moss showering down from the branches and some piling up below the tree trunk.

"Wow," Firepaw breathed, forgetting her anger at her mentor. The tree was so tall!

"This is the Owl Tree," Blossomfall explained, flicking her tail to a gaping dark hole in the tree bark. "It was named that because of the owl living in it."

"That's so cool!" Filled with new excitement, she turned towards the tortoiseshell warrior and bounced on her paws. "Will we ever see the owl? If I did, I'd catch it and feed the whole Clan!"

"Keep dreaming," her mentor replied, and then snorted in annoyance. "Just focus on collecting moss right now."

Firepaw sighed, remembering her dilemma, and then padded towards the big oak tree. Thinking for a moment, she stared down at the evergreen-colored moss and then drew up her paw, unsheathing her claws. Then in a messy way she clawed some moss off of the pile at the bottom of the tree. It was torn into pieces and just as Firepaw went to get more the same way, Blossomfall snapped at her.

"No, you're doing it all wrong! Do you know how to collect moss?" Her voice was filled with fury as she continued yelling at her apprentice. "You're acting like a three moon old kit!"

_I just became an apprentice! _Forcing herself not to growl back a retort at her mentor, Firepaw just looked at her with round, amber eyes. "Then how do you do it?" she asked, trying to sound calm.

Blossomfall drew up her paw, unsheathing her claws the same way Firepaw did, but instead she turned her paw sideways to show the soft pink pads. "This is how you get moss," she hissed to the ginger tabby, and then carefully shoved her turned paw under the green moss. Then in a quick motion, she flung the moss towards Firepaw. The tabby prepared to be covered in wet moss, but it landed right at her paws.

Firepaw opened her jaws to show her amazement, but Blossomfall pointed towards the moss, shooting the ginger tabby apprentice a green glare. Reluctantly, the apprentice picked up a paw and started collecting moss in the way her mentor had showed her.

After getting a decent amount for the four elders of ThunderClan, Blossomfall meowed, "Let's go. We have a nice pile of moss and it's getting close to moonrise anyway."

Without a second thought, Firepaw agreed. As she picked up a piece of moss in her jaws, she thought about how her mentor had snapped at her all day and how she always snarled at her whenever she did something wrong. _Maybe Blossomfall is just angry today. She'll be better tomorrow._

_Hopefully._

* * *

By the time they got back to camp, most of the warriors were heading off to the warriors den. She saw Snowpaw's pale white form in the apprentices den and made sure to remind herself that she should ask him what his first day as an apprentice was like.

Firepaw noticed Blossomfall glance up at the sky and a worried look flit across her eyes for a few seconds before disappearing. _What's her problem?_ Before she could ask her, her mentor dropped the moss she was carrying and turned to look at the ginger tabby.

"I'll take this moss to the elders in the morning. Their old bones can wait," Blossomfall meowed, flicking her tail in an annoyed way. "I can't afford to give it to them now."

Firepaw dropped the moss at her paws in an exasperated way and then shot a look of confusion to her mentor. "Why can't you afford it?"

Blossomfall seemed shocked at the question, and she tried to contain her composure by licking her chest fur. "I need to get to sleep," she meowed as if she were in a hurry. "A good warrior gets enough sleep so they can be as strong as they can be the next morning."

Still confused, Firepaw watched her tortoiseshell-and-white mentor race across the clearing to the warriors den, her fur bristling. _What was that about?_

_Oh well. I'll find out tomorrow, _she thought, opening her jaws in a yawn. Her claws ached and she was tired anyways. In a slight dazed state, she walked towards the apprentices den, prepared to relish the feeling of her fur against moss.

* * *

Firepaw opened her amber eyes to see total darkness. She heard whispers echoing through the black, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Suddenly, she started moving forward, as if another cat was controlling her body. Although Firepaw was curious, she'd like to walk around on her own.

Finally, her paws stopped, and the voices became clearer:

"_This can't happen. StarClan's strength is beyond recognition. The boundaries can't break like this!"_

"_But it's that warrior's fault…"_

_What warrior? What can't happen? _Firepaw leaned forward, her ears pricked up, but suddenly a huge gust of wind swept her off her paws. Surprise swept through her, and she struggled to hear the voices, but the whirlwind was too loud.

Abruptly, the winds stopped, but she was still suspended in space. Firepaw tried to break free of the hold gravity had on her, but it didn't work. Suddenly, bright green eyes glowed through the darkness and they narrowed when they saw her.

Firepaw was scared now. Was this like the nightmares that Dewpaw usually have?

Another gust of wind soared through the dark, but they didn't whirl her around like last time. The wind carried messages. At first, it was hard to make out what they were, but now the voices were clear.

"_It is up to fire now…"_

**Wow, I'm finally done with this chapter! This is an introduction to Firepaw and her personality, which is a combination of both Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's. Sorry that it took so long to write, I was sort of procrastinating on doing this. But eventually I got up and started writing on where I left off! So, I hope you enjoyed!**

**There is also a group for this story on deviantart. Just go to my deviantart page (my username is DuchessOrange) and scroll down until you see the groups I own. Join if you want to, and make sure you submit fan art!**

**Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite if you like this story!**

**~Orangeflight of ShadowClan **


	3. Chapter Two: Blossomfall's Tour

**Lucky**

**Thank you Leafsplash and Winxclubfan1 for reviewing! And yes, I am accepting OC's for kits, but not for anything else c: I'd like it if you just gave me kit names for them, not warrior names because I like choosing my own, but it doesn't really matter either way :3 Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

_Chapter Two_

_Firepaw snapped awake, her breath _coming out in fast whispers. She felt sick and frightened, but she couldn't figure out why. A vague image of green flashed through her head, but it disappeared as soon as it had come. But why couldn't she remember anything?

She looked around for clues, but only saw the pale gray shape of Dewpaw in the apprentices den. The ginger tabby apprentice saw the small rise and fall of his stomach and knew he was asleep. She had to be quiet—she didn't want to wake him up!

Firepaw silently crept towards the exit of the den, careful not to make a sound, and then stepped onto the warm earthy ground of the camp. Sunlight was streaming down, making her pelt glow like fire and the ground to appear a light brown color.

She saw Blossomfall's tortoiseshell and white pelt across the clearing near the fresh-kill pile. Her mentor was sharing a thrush with her brother, Bumblestripe. Determinedly, Firepaw padded across the camp towards the she-cat.

At the sound of paw steps, Blossomfall and Bumblestripe looked up. "Hello, Firepaw," Bumblestripe meowed, dipping his head towards her. "What do you need?"

"I came to ask Blossomfall if we could finally battle train," the ginger tabby meowed, and then turned to her mentor, her amber eyes shining. "Can we? Please?"

The tortoiseshell flicked her tail dismissively. "We'll explore the forest today," she meowed, narrowing her eyes as a look of disappointment flashed across Firepaw's face.

_I wanted to battle train… _Firepaw frowned at her mentor.

Blossomfall turned her burning green gaze to her brother. "I'll be out exploring the forest with Firepaw. Tell the Clan that if they look for me," she growled, and then turned around and padded towards the exit of camp.

The ginger tabby apprentice sighed in annoyance but nonetheless padded after her tortoiseshell mentor.

The sound of birdsong was in the air as the two cats padded through the forest. "I already showed you the Owl Tree," Blossomfall meowed. "Now I'll show you the rest of the territory."

"I want to battle train," Firepaw muttered under her breath, but she had to admit that the forest was interesting. Chaffinches and kestrels flew through the air above her head, cawing noises to each other. Trees stretched taller than the Owl Tree, twisted branches and growing green leaves made it harder to see the sunlight, and squirrels and mice dug up nuts and seeds from the ground from the previous leaf-bare.

She nearly bumped into Blossomfall when she stopped since she was being distracted by the beauty of the forest. They were in a secluded area where the trees stretched into the sky and blocked must of the sunlight.

"Where are we?" Firepaw breathed, once again forgetting her attitude with her mentor.

"Oh, this place?" In the dark atmosphere, Blossomfall's eyes glowed a frightening emerald green. "This isn't a place in particular… but it is perfect for an unexpected ambush…" Firepaw noticed her voice was rising into a low growl, and her ears flattened on her head.

Before she even knew what was happening, Blossomfall leaped towards her, her teeth bared in a snarl. Her claws dug into Firepaw's skin and the tabby let out a yowl of pain. In the blink of an eye, Blossomfall had Firepaw pinned beneath her.

Firepaw's stomach twisted in a knot as she gulped, staring at the scary-looking green eyes of her mentor. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the tortoiseshell got off of her, sheathing her claws and sighing in disappointment.

"You should have been prepared for that," Blossomfall meowed, frowning. "You need to have natural instinct like the best warriors of the Clan."

_Natural instinct? I thought you were about to slice open my throat! _Fighting down her anger, Firepaw looked at her mentor in confusion. "You said we were exploring the forest, not battle training!"

"I wanted to surprise you," Blossomfall replied, and then glared at her. "Every cat that has potential for me would've been prepared. You need to be more like Amberpaw!"

_Amberpaw?_

_What does she have to do with this?_

"Whatever, let's just go back to camp," her mentor meowed, flicking her tail and padding into the sunlight-streamed forest. Still confused, Firepaw followed Blossomfall out of the secluded part of the forest.

* * *

"Snowpaw, was training with Toadstep the first time this hard?" Firepaw asked, licking a scratch that Blossomfall had given her on her shoulder. After they left the secluded part of the forest, her tortoiseshell mentor led her to the Sandy Hollow instead of camp for special training that no other apprentices used. Blossomfall said it was for the powerful apprentices and only those who were worthy or deserved it.

The long-haired white tom gave her a long look, and then turned away to stare into the dark blue sky. "No, Toadstep never gave me scratches the first time we battle trained. I think Blossomfall's being too hard with you."

"No way!" Firepaw exclaimed. _I want to have special training with Blossomfall! _"I'm fine, trust me Snowpaw. Blossomfall's not being too hard at all, and she's a great mentor."

Snowpaw's amber gaze switched from the sky to Firepaw, and she flinched when she saw the nervousness and worry brewing in them. "I'm not so sure."

Before she could say anything, Snowpaw got to his paws and walked away to the apprentices den. She felt conflicted—would she trust Snowpaw and get a new mentor, or should she continue special training with Blossomfall?

**Well, that's the end of the chapter! What do you guys think about it? I think it was a little rushed tbh, but I guess I just wanted to get it done xD **


	4. Chapter Three: Secret Keeper

**Lucky**

**Thank you Snowsong of SnowClan, Guest, and Leafsplash for reviewing! Guest, as soon as one of the she-cats has kits, I will put those kit names for them! Anyways, onto the chapter!**

_Chapter Three_

"_Come at me again!" Blossomfall _snarled, fluffing up her tortoiseshell fur. "You have to be tough! Pretend I'm a ShadowClan warrior!"

Firepaw bunched up her muscles and lunged at her mentor again. She had decided to ignore Snowpaw's warning and continue the special training with her tortoiseshell mentor. She hated to admit it, but Blossomfall's training had helped her with her dodging skills and her strength was increasing.

Blossomfall prepared to sidestep, but before she could, Firepaw bowled her over and pinned the she-cat. Firepaw's golden eyes glowed triumphantly as she stared down at her mentor, but before she could gloat, Blossomfall pushed the ginger tabby off of her and slashed at her with claws unsheathed.

Firepaw instinctively dodged and swiped a paw forward to scratch Blossomfall's shoulder. The tortoiseshell winced in pain, but leaped at the apprentice with claws unsheathed. She slashed Firepaw's shoulder and she felt pain course through her and yowled in pain.

Before the apprentice could react, Blossomfall had her pinned and her green eyes glared down at her. After a few moments, her mentor let her up and she licked a white paw.

Firepaw leaped to her paws. "Did I do well, Blossomfall?" she asked excitedly.

"You did great, Firepaw. Keep that up and you'll be going to the Gathering in a few nights," Blossomfall meowed, and she sounded genuinely impressed.

The ginger apprentice felt warmth spread through her and she purred. "So we're done for the day?"

Blossomfall narrowed her eyes and Firepaw flinched. But then she meowed, "Fine. We'll continue later on today, at moon-high."

_Night training! _Excitement coursed through Firepaw. She had never had night training before! Forgetting her exhaustion and the aching in her limbs, she bounced to camp, Blossomfall following.

By the time they made it back to camp, Firepaw controlled her excitement and padded towards the fresh-kill pile. She picked up a squirrel from the pile and started walking towards the apprentices den when she caught Snowpaw's gaze. His amber eyes looked troubled and worried, and he immediately looked away when he saw she was looking, too.

Confusion filled Firepaw, but she dismissed it as she sank her teeth into the squirrel's flesh. Realizing how good the brown-furred squirrel was, she devoured it in a few seconds. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. Licking her muzzle, she reached forward to grab another squirrel when suddenly, a voice boomed above her.

"Firepaw, get to my den this instant, and bring your mentor along with you!"

The ginger tabby apprentice looked up and recognized the cat as her father, Bramblestar. His amber eyes were narrowed and his fur was fluffed up so he looked twice his size.

Firepaw was about to question him, but he stomped away to his den before she could get a word out. Sighing, she looked around for Blossomfall, but saw she was already making her way towards Bramblestar's headquarters. Firepaw scampered after the tortoiseshell she-cat.

When Firepaw entered her father's den, she was greeted with soft bracken furls and a cool breeze. Her eyes adjusting to the gloom, she saw Bramblestar's dark brown tabby pelt, and his bristling fur.

She settled down on the soft grass, and Blossomfall sat down beside her, her tortoiseshell pelt bristling slightly.

Bramblestar's gaze swept over the two she-cats for a moment, before he meowed, "Snowpaw informed me that you keep coming back to camp with fresh scratches every day, Firepaw. Blossomfall, you're her mentor. Are you hurting my daughter with unsheathed claws?"

"No, it's nothing like that, Bramblestar! Blossomfall and I are just—"

"We travel through brambles in the territory every day to get to the Sandy Hollow, Bramblestar. I must not have noticed that they were hurting Firepaw," Blossomfall interrupted her. "I'm sorry for not paying attention more."

The tabby leader's amber eyes narrowed at Blossomfall for a moment, but at least he wasn't bristling anymore. "Alright," Bramblestar said after a long pause. "I believe you, Blossomfall. I recommend not taking that bramble path to the Sandy Hollow anymore."

Firepaw's eyes widened in confusion. _There isn't a bramble path, I'm doing special training!_ Blossomfall must have noticed her confused look and the tortoiseshell and white she-cat immediately slapped her fluffy tail over the apprentice's muzzle.

"Alright, Bramblestar," Blossomfall meowed and dipped her head. "Sorry for worrying you." And with that, her mentor led her out of the den.

"Why didn't you tell Bramblestar about our special training?" Firepaw asked, staring up at her mentor with golden eyes.

Blossomfall glared down at her and looked around swiftly. She then averted her gaze back down to her apprentice and growled in a low voice, "We have to keep our training a secret. Nobody else can know, not even your father."

Firepaw blinked in shock. "Why?"

"It's a secret warrior technique," Blossomfall explained, her voice still low. "Nobody uses it anymore, but it really improves your skills."

"Wow," Firepaw breathed. "A secret warrior technique!" _Does this mean I'm better than all the other apprentices if I'm learning a precious training session?_

Blossomfall winced at her excited voice, and snarled, "Just keep it a secret, will you?"

The ginger apprentice's mood immediately faltered and she nodded her head quickly. Turning around, she sped off towards the apprentices den and settled down in her moss and feather-lined nest. She might as well take a nap until Blossomfall felt like training again.

Just as her eyes drooped and darkness closed in near the corners of her vision, a paw prodded her awake. Firepaw groaned in annoyance, but looked up and recognized the gray pelt of Dewpaw. "What do you want?" the ginger apprentice snapped.

Dewpaw flinched slightly, but then meowed, "Snowpaw told me that you and Blossomfall were having special training and it was hurting you. He wants to know if you told Bramblestar."

Firepaw was about to tell him what happened, but then she remembered her promise to Blossomfall. "We stopped special training a few days ago," she lied. "Blossomfall said it was too tiring for her and she didn't want to see me get hurt anymore."

"Oh, good." Dewpaw stared at her with his amber eyes, and Firepaw was reminded uncomfortably of Snowpaw and how he kept staring at her with that same shade of amber. The dark gray tom held his stare until finally, he meowed, "I'm going to hunt with Poppyfrost. I'll be back later."

"Okay," Firepaw meowed, flicking her tail to the gray-furred apprentice. He dipped his head and padded out of the apprentices den, his tail swishing below him.

The ginger apprentice sighed and buried her head in her paws. _How can I keep lying to the Clan? Is it even worth it? _Silently, she lifted her head slightly to stare outside the den. She would have to figure it out herself. But for now, Firepaw was going to keep Blossomfall's secret.

Even if it killed her.

**Well, that's the end of chapter three! I hope you guys are enjoying how the plot is going! Anyways, don't forget to review!**


End file.
